A pregnant 22-year-old was allegedly gangraped in her Bhandup (West) home in front of her husband on Sunday evening.
Three of the seven accused are minors.
The accused, who were drunk, barged into the couple’s house following a minor tiff. They assaulted Vijay Kothari (name changed) and raped his wife, police said. Six of them — Surya Deepak, Sonu Jodha and Santosh Pawar and three 15-year-olds — were arrested from their houses. The police are on the lookout for an accomplice, Mahendra Angale.
“The three men were sent to Bhiwandi court while the three boys were sent to Dongri remand home,” said Prakash Vani, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bhandup.
Kothari and his wife sell vessels for a living. On Sunday, the two were standing on their first-floor gallery and Kothari spat his gutka down where the seven happened to be standing. “The seven got offended by this and started abusing the couple. The couple, who did not want to pick a fight, went inside their house and locked it,” said Vani.
The accused, however, broke open the door and started beating Kothari, who collapsed. When his wife, who is four months pregnant, intervened, the men allegedly beat her. Later, as she fell unconscious, they raped her, police said.
Locals who heard her scream took her to hospital. “We rushed down but the goons had disappeared,” said Kothari’s mother, who was in her house on the seventh floor of the same building. Medical reports have confirmed rape. Dr Subhash Shinde, who attended to the victim, said both she and the baby were safe.
{{/usCountry}}Locals who heard her scream took her to hospital. “We rushed down but the goons had disappeared,” said Kothari’s mother, who was in her house on the seventh floor of the same building. Medical reports have confirmed rape. Dr Subhash Shinde, who attended to the victim, said both she and the baby were safe.
{{/usCountry}}“I had seen the seven loitering around the place and playing cards at times but I can’t believe they would rape my wife just because some spit fell on them,” said Kothari. “They have ruined my life. They should hang the rapists,” his wife said.